I've been told these things.... my new Honda CRF450X, that is.... are high maintenance. Hmmm, I wonder if that's a good thing?

Anyhow, just to be sure I didn't wear it out to soon.... I did a little bit more riding (about 15km) and then gave the bike it's first oil change... The CRF has two lots of oil... The engine holds a whopping 700ml and the gearbox a huge 650ml.... No wonder it's a good idea to change it often. 600 ml is only about two can of coke... and (it seems to me) that's not a lot of oil for a high tech engine capable of doing 10000+ rpm....

I also put the baffle back in the muffler because my old ears don't like the bike being too loud... (it had been taken out in the shop), besides it being better for everyone else, especially when I am riding it around town.

All ready for our next adventure!

Shannon, Gazza & I went for our first ride together on our new bikes (2xCRF450X & 1 CRF230). The ride took us out along the railway towards Broomehill. We've had a bit of rain lately so the track was quite wet in places.

We also spent some time out at the old (mostly disused) motocross track on Police Pools Rd. This track is used by bikes, four wheelers and the occasional four-wheel-drive, so the track isn't good. It doesn't get maintained and has been ripped up by the variety of vehicles using it....

It was still fun! When you're on a brand new bike, there's no need to complain about the quality of the track. I was just enjoying the ride and getting a feel for my CRF450X.

Second impression: WOW!

The conditions weren't great but the company was good and the riding was a blast! I've already done things (with relative ease) that I never expected to be doing so soon on this bike... It has more power than I know what to do with, enough torque to tractor through just about anything and the handling to match. I can't believe how easy it is to go fast on this thing.

The BIG day has arrived...

Gareb, Shannon & I went to Albany Motorcycles to pick up brand spanking new Motorcycles for both Gareb and myself. Gazza had no idea until after we arrived that he would be getting a new Honda CRF230. He was very excited and a little 'speechless' when presented with a new bike.

I was stoked and was really looking forward to taking my new toy for a spin..... even though my ribs were still hurting.... so I would have to be very careful.

Got all of the paperwork out of the way... selected a few more bits and pieces (clothing and practical items like oil filters, etc), and loaded our bikes up on Shannon's trailer.

On our way out of town, we ducked into a shop I had read about on E-bay, a few days earlier, that sells "Chinese Imports"... I wanted to look at a bike I had seen on E-bay... a little 150cc thumper... for my younger son Nat. They still had some of the bikes in stock so I bought one and loaded it (still in a crate) on the trailer with our other new bikes.

I haven't slept very well for a few days....

After seeking some advise from nursing staff at the hospital where I work, I have come to the conclusion that I have probably either cracked or broken ribs from my little motorcycle 'incident' last week... If you have never fractured or broken your ribs, take it from me... It HURTS!

I'm OK when I sitting/standing and doing most daily tasks (walking hurts a bit) but laying down is torture... and every time I move, its like someone is twisting a knife between my ribs.....

Note to self: Try not to do that again!